


the haircut

by screamingarrows



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: M/M, Pining, Tenderness, pre relationship but its so implied it gets tagged
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:42:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26809072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/screamingarrows/pseuds/screamingarrows
Summary: In which Nicky cuts Joe's hair for the first time.
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Comments: 12
Kudos: 157





	the haircut

The first warning of the impending storm is the way Nicky’s hair slowly frizzes as the day wears on. 

Joe doesn’t comment on it; they don’t really talk to each other unless they have to, but Nicky doesn’t miss the way Joe smirks at him whenever the wind catches it and blows it around his face. He tries fruitlessly to tame it with his fingers, but it’s a cause lost before it starts. For one quick moment he envies Joe’s tight curls that fall over his ears and rest at the nape of his neck, unbothered by the humidity or wind. 

Nicky looks away quickly before the burn on his cheeks is visible. 

They’re in the middle of a forest when the first fat drops of rain patter on the leaves above them as the sky rapidly darkens. Nicky looks up instinctively before looking over at Joe, who’s face is tilted upward, but his eyes meet Nicky’s with a smile. 

“This is going to be a big storm,” Joe says, eyes sparkling and Nicky nods, smiling despite himself. He hates the rain, but there’s something contagious about Joe’s own excitement and Nicky finds himself almost happy when he hears a sudden crack of thunder. 

That happiness only lasts a moment before the crack splits the sky and rain comes down in torrents. They’re instantly drenched, the rain soaking through their clothes easily and Nicky yanks the pack off his shoulder and holds it to his chest, curling around it. The last thing they need is the meager food they’d managed to get to ruin because of the water. His hair’s plastered to his forehead and he squints through the downpour, searching for shelter; he spots a cave off to the side and he turns, reaching out for Joe to grab his attention and point out the cave, but before he makes contact he catches sight of the other man. 

Joe’s face is turned up and he’s beaming into the dark sky above them. 

Nicky’s words catch in his throat. Joe’s tongue pokes out of his mouth, licking at the moisture on his lips and Nicky’s breath catches. 

“Hey,” he says and surprises himself at the sound. Joe opens his eyes, shakes out his hair like he wasn’t still exposed to the rain, and gives Nicky a wide grin. 

“There’s a cave,” Nicky says haltingly, pointing, and Joe follows his direction. 

“Wonderful! Let’s go,” Joe says and leaves Nicky to stumble after him. 

The cave’s a decent size and Nicky rests a hand on the dagger in his belt as they search it for any other animals. Finding none, Nicky relaxes against one wall while Joe makes himself comfortable on the other side. His eyes follow Joe’s movements as the man strips out of the first few layers of clothing and he forcefully looks away before Joe catches him staring. 

He rubs his hands together and looks around the cave again; the rainwater chilling him and sending goosebumps racing across his skin. Plant litter covers the floor and he wonders if it would be enough to start a fire. He stands, sets aside his sword and sack, and starts sweeping the dead leaves and twigs towards the center of the room with his foot. Nicky can see Joe watching him with a tilted head and he deliberately doesn’t look over at him before Joe stands and mirrors Nicky. 

There’s a decent pile they sweep up, but nothing that will last longer than a few minutes and Joe gives him a small smile. 

“Should we go get some wood?” 

Nicky looks out at the heavy rain, face twisted in reluctant acceptance. Joe turns and laughs as he leaves the shelter of the cave and Nicky startles at the sound before following like a man lured by a siren. 

Nicky carries the damp wood back inside the cave and sets it down while Joe gets to work readying the tinder. He retreats back to his corner and tries not to be obvious with how he watches Joe carefully build a structure that will help the wood ignite. His eyes track Joe’s hands as he moves, but then they jump up to his face when Joe starts whistling. 

His lips are slightly parted as he whistles a familiar melody through his teeth and warmth blossoms in Nicky’s chest and spreads to his belly. The words to the song float through his mind as he watches Joe work and he wonders if Joe knows Nicky recognizes it. 

The fire crackles to life and Nicky leans forward instinctively as Joe looks at him with a proud exclamation. Nicky can’t help but reply with his own smile, shy as it was. Joe scoots back and settles against the wall, stretching his legs out towards the heat. His eyes close and Nicky takes the opportunity to truly look at his companion; it’s the first time he’s allowed himself to do so since they reunited. He looks good, healthy. Wherever he’s been was kind to him. 

“Your hair is longer,” Nicky says suddenly. Joe opens his eyes and Nicky gestures with a nod; Joe reaches up to touch the mess of disheveled curls that are drying in the heat. 

“Yes,” Joe agrees awkwardly and Nicky wants to kick himself for saying anything. 

“It’s- it’s nice.” He’s thankful his nerves stayed steady enough that his voice didn’t shake. Embarrassment burns at the back of his neck and he resists the urge to shift. 

“You think?” Joe asks, running his fingers through the tangled strands, making it stand out even more. 

Nicky can’t bring the words from his throat and nods; Joe grins at him. 

“It’s terribly inefficient though, isn’t it? Long enough to grab in a fight.” Joe tilts his head and lightning flashes, backlighting his sharp profile. 

“You could tie it back,” Nicky suggests and Joe gives him a look that flashes across his face far too quickly for Nicky to read in the flickering light of their fire. 

“You could cut it for me,” Joe counters, voice playful, and Nicky pauses. He knows Joe is teasing, but the challenge stirs in Nicky’s chest. Joe expects him to chicken out, he knows, expects him to succumb to his embarrassment. Nicky’s pride grows and gives him confidence. 

“Okay,” he says easily and Joe’s smile twitches up wider. 

“Okay.” Joe shifts, gesturing for Nicky to come over to him. Nicky pushes up off the floor and checks for the small dagger at his waist. He pulls it out and holds it for Joe to see. 

“All I have is this…” He trails off and Joe shrugs, eyes bright. 

“Better than using my sword.” 

Nicky kneels behind Joe. The dagger is heavy in his hands. He wonders if Joe is nervous and immediately hates that he wonders that. He hopes he’s not. He hopes Joe knows Nicky would never attack him like this. 

His hands hover over the dark curls and he steels himself before resting his hand flat on Joe’s head. 

“Are you sure?” 

“Just don’t shave me bald,” Joe jokes, twisting his head over his shoulder to give Nicky a flash of his smile. 

“No, no, of course not,” Nicky says and his fingers flex in Joe’s hair of their own accord. The image of Joe, bald, flashes through his mind and he snorts. 

“I don’t even want to know what you just thought of,” Joe says under his breath and Nicky’s grin pulls wider. He cards his hand through Joe’s hair until it snags on a knot and he’s quick to mutter an apology. 

“You’re terrible at this,” Joe grumbles. Nicky rolls his eyes and he hopes Joe can feel it. 

“Stop it,” he chides playfully and raises his dagger. Joe stills and Nicky holds a clump of hair separate from the rest and slowly brings down the blade. 

The hair comes away without even a tug and they fall into a peaceful quiet while the storm rages against their shelter. 

Nicky’s almost proud of the way Joe’s hair is beginning to look. Trimmed up and mostly even, he looks different; for one fierce moment, Nicky’s envious of the way Joe’s face fits so many styles so easily. He doesn’t think he’s nearly as versatile.

“Almost done,” Nicky murmurs as he shifts to kneel in front of Joe. He’s so focused on getting the cuts even, he jumps when he feels Joe’s warm hands around his wrists. Joe pulls him back just a fraction, just enough so that he can look up into Nicky’s eyes. 

“Thank you, Nicolò,” he says, voice deeper than Nicky can remember it ever being. He swallows hard and nods. 

“Of course, Yusuf,” he replies softly. Joe’s fingers spasm against Nicky’s wrist at the sound of his name and he lets go. Nicky tries to ignore the way his racing heart makes his hands tremble. He’s focusing so deeply on making sure the dagger doesn’t fall from his fingers, that when a crack of thunder shakes the earth, his hands clench around the hilt and he jumps, taking off a much larger clump of hair than he’d intended. 

Nicky freezes, staring at the butchered spot, hair cut so close to Joe’s scalp it’s a miracle Nicky didn’t cut him. 

“What’s wrong?” Joe asks, looking up when Nicky refuses to move. Nicky looks down and watches as Joe looks at the long strands in Nicky’s hand and then down at the significantly shorter strands littering the floor around them. 

“Did you just—” Joe starts, raising a hand to his head. Something hysterical balloons in Nicky’s chest and he fights to keep from laughing. Joe finds the spot quickly and his eyes meet Nicky’s, his mouth falling open in surprise. 

“You did that on purpose!” 

“No, I didn’t,” Nicky tries to say, but opening his mouth proves to be a mistake as laughter twists the words as they escape. 

“You did!” 

“Honest,” Nicky says laughing, falling back on his heels, hand still clutching the hair, shoulders shaking. 

“I can’t believe you,” Joe says, voice high and incredulous. He leans forward and yanks the hair out of Nicky’s hand, which only causes Nicky to laugh harder. Joe fights the grin pulling at his lips. 

“How am I ever going to hide this, Nicky? It’s right up front.” 

“You could get a hat,” Nicky suggests, voice tight with barely contained laughter and Joe glares in a way he hopes will send Nicky into the throes of his humor. 

“A hat,” Joe says bluntly, blinking slowly. “You ought to watch out, Nicolò, one day you will need a haircut and I will not be forgetful.” 

Nicky purses his lips in attempt to summon even the imitation of seriousness at the threat. 

“That is only fair,” Nicky says and when his façade cracks and lips pull up into a smile, Joe returns it, eyes crinkling with the force of it.

**Author's Note:**

> So this idea has been haunting me since I saw the movie and I finally had the courage to polish it up and post it. Hope you enjoyed! 
> 
> as always, you can find me on tumblr: now at thekracken.tumblr.com :)


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